My guess is that Jim Harbaugh recruited not just kids who had talent and athleticism, but those who brought passion for the game and a high competitive drive. Those were always things he emphasized. There have also been snippets over the years that he liked people who were multi-sport athletes, or at least those who would eagerly compete at another sport if they proverbially “rolled the balls out”.
Maybe it’s not just about coaching, but about bringing in high-character, hungry, coachable players, even if they lack star power. It’s probably better to have a high 3-star kid who works his butt off than a blue chip who rests on his laurels.
I don't think a google drive containing videos of opponent sidelines is the smoking gun that it's being made out to be, depending on the specifics. If Stalions used his own money to pay people to film sidelines who are not affiliated with the program to do so, then is it even breaking an NCAA rule? I thought the rule stated that coaches weren't allowed to go scout in person.
Draft picks may be correlated to the school's need to reload at a certain position, and similarly, the chance of early playing time. May apply more to QB prospects than those on OL though.
Agree. Out of Schadenfreude I watched the OSU postgame pressers. Ryan Day’s was notable in that he seemingly took zero accountability and also did not credit Michigan. He did mention “execution” which is a term mostly referring to players—No class. In stark contrast, their DC repeatedly held himself accountable. Stroud seemed like a good kid who was upset about the loss, but had a good attitude and left it all on the field.
How about Harbaugh going for it on fourth and short early in the second half while we were still down three and deep in our own territory? Stark contrast to Ryan Day.
How about the discipline of this M team! Zero unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against MSU or OSU if I recall correctly. Meanwhile OSU's unsportsmanlike conduct + holding penalties erased a 20+ yard play and killed one of their key drives. Kudos to the players and coaches for not beating themselves.
This was my feeling too, that we didn't get much QB pressure (M's stats are just 1 sack and 3 TFL). Also I felt like we weren't stoning their run game (OSU got 4.9 yards/carry). I'm not sure what just happened and how the result was so good.
Seriously though! Isn't it a bit insane that we have a likely scoop-n-score nullified by an official blowing the play dead too early? Just let it run and call it back next time!
CoJo's route on the 2nd long TD was so cool. Waiting until the OSU safety turned his back, then pivoting to the center of the field. Luck, skill, design, divine intervention? Whatever it is, I'll take it!
Always wanted to keep Harbaugh around, even through the tough times. The commentators said at one point that "the entire" M fan base wanted him gone, but I know a sizable number of us didn't waver on keeping him
Personally I was thinking/hoping for 38-35 M, but thought it would be much more like last year with OSU getting slowly mauled by M's run game. The manner which M won was really unexpected for me.
I too was very nervous about giving OSU such good field position off a potential miss, but then again, I also like the trust he placed in Moody and giving him an opportunity to really cement his legendary status. Sucks that he missed it!
I think there is ample evidence by now that Michigan football has its swagger back. From the time that they took ownership of Wisconsin's "jump around" song during an away game, to the non-MSU tunnel stuff, and a handful of comments by JJ and Corum at the latest press conferences. It's definitely not the "Tim Duncan" approach of showing hardly any emotion in the name of professionalism, but it seems like having fun and building confidence, even with some well-earned trash talk, is a good thing for this team. I don't mind this identity--the team is backing it up on the field!
Doubt the TV broadcast would have shown this, but on one drive toward the north endzone I am nearly certain that JJ had a wide open receiver in the endzone on a play-action bootleg, but threw a poor ball to the checkdown (TE Loveland?) who dropped it. I get the sense that JJ has tuned his dial toward "game manager" mode to the point where he didn't see the home run there.
Good win! "Slow-motion beatdown" basically sums up this game.
Was curious about Jay's pre-Michigan history, so here are some interesting tidbits from Wikipedia:
-33 years old
-Played D line in high school, but knee injuries ended his career
-All of his prior coaching stops are in some way linked to his family's football connections
-He was on staff with the Ravens when they beat Jim Harbaugh's 49ers squad in Super Bowl XLVII
Was at the game, and yeah there was a too-loud chorus of boos after the drive ending sack when Cade was in.
Its very possible we need Cade to guide us to a W at some point this season. Wish people could just support the guy. I hope he has the right mindset to overcome this setback.
Agreed. I think Ivica Zubac from the Clippers seems like a reasonable comparison from a defensive standpoint. It seems like top players like Luka Doncic relentlessly get a switch onto Zubac and roast his defense.
Nice analysis! Another method to assess the variability in outside shooting would be to use confidence intervals (perhaps a bit more intuitive than standard deviation, but would provide similar team rankings), and a graph depicting 3 pt % for each game would be nice to see.
Have been a supporter throughout his tenure at M and sad to see him go. His teams were a couple unlucky bounces away from greatness (if the punt and the 4th down had each gone the other way...). If only those had gone the other way early on in his M career, everything would've been so much easier! But he embodied "those who stay" and leaves his successor a championship program. Thanks coach!
Right, maybe the optimistic take is that Michigan is a place where talented players and coaches come in and accelerate their careers, whether that's promotions or getting to the NFL.
The drops, picks, fumbles, mental errors in coverage all were very uncharacteristic. On top of that, Georgia seemed to be an awful matchup for us as Ian Boyd alluded to. That front 7 is brutal. Throwing over the top seemed to be the way to get chunk plays on them, and we hit 2/4ish attempts. Perhaps Bama will do that again in the final and win comfortably.
The future looks bright with McCarthy and Edwards! Go Blue!
The descriptions of a hallway chat with Harbaugh are so reminiscent of his press conferences:
"Without warning, Harbaugh’s mind could dart elsewhere and he would drift away, often to return in 10, 15, maybe even 30 minutes later to pick up right where he left off — as if he never left."
"...his mind never stops working...you may be on a topic and it sparks something else in him and he seems like he’s going off on a tangent, but by the time he’s done you realize that it’s all connected."
My confidence grew throughout the season and I was so confident we’d beat MSU that I didn’t even care about the blown strip sack TD call. “Give ‘em the points, won’t matter,” I thought. The loss predictably ended my joyride following the team’s every move. I even stopped following altogether. But then I saw a quote from Harbaugh that made a headline: “Grieving is over.” That was all it took for me to regain my enthusiasm. The players stated after the season that they knew nobody outside that locker room believed in them. But that statement showed the the coach and team had the right mindset to overcome adversity and have a dream season.
Schoon has been catching TDs regularly, sometimes pulling in one-handers, and he isn't done yet! So I think it's fair to say he's a "hit" despite being in the bottom 7 of the recruiting class.
I remember news articles ahead of the OSU game mentioning that the seasonal flu was ravaging Michigan’s campus at the time. I was pretty worried that our team would take a hit. I hope that Michigan’s athletic department is smart enough to vaccinate all of the players and staff as soon as shots become available every year.
In my opinion, the captains should always lead the team out of the tunnel. Not to exaggerate its importance, but it's a highly visible (if ceremonial) leadership role and represents that the program is run by the players. The success of this team is largely attributable to the players embracing the "leaders and best" mindset. Let self-aggrandizing coaches (e.g. Scott Frost) take the spotlight at the front of the line.
Recent Comments
Could Tuttle be Rudock 2.0? He seems more dynamic than Cade and sets the floor for the QB room.
Tuttle can ball. Earned QB2 last year. With this news, I'm expecting him to start and be good.
I'd pick JJ first.
My guess is that Jim Harbaugh recruited not just kids who had talent and athleticism, but those who brought passion for the game and a high competitive drive. Those were always things he emphasized. There have also been snippets over the years that he liked people who were multi-sport athletes, or at least those who would eagerly compete at another sport if they proverbially “rolled the balls out”.
Maybe it’s not just about coaching, but about bringing in high-character, hungry, coachable players, even if they lack star power. It’s probably better to have a high 3-star kid who works his butt off than a blue chip who rests on his laurels.
I don't think a google drive containing videos of opponent sidelines is the smoking gun that it's being made out to be, depending on the specifics. If Stalions used his own money to pay people to film sidelines who are not affiliated with the program to do so, then is it even breaking an NCAA rule? I thought the rule stated that coaches weren't allowed to go scout in person.
Draft picks may be correlated to the school's need to reload at a certain position, and similarly, the chance of early playing time. May apply more to QB prospects than those on OL though.
Kalel Mullings didn't even see Schoonmaker before throwing that??!! Really?! Big, if true!
3
Anyone who makes a big deal about planting a flag needs to grow up.
Agree. Out of Schadenfreude I watched the OSU postgame pressers. Ryan Day’s was notable in that he seemingly took zero accountability and also did not credit Michigan. He did mention “execution” which is a term mostly referring to players—No class. In stark contrast, their DC repeatedly held himself accountable. Stroud seemed like a good kid who was upset about the loss, but had a good attitude and left it all on the field.
How about Harbaugh going for it on fourth and short early in the second half while we were still down three and deep in our own territory? Stark contrast to Ryan Day.
How about the discipline of this M team! Zero unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against MSU or OSU if I recall correctly. Meanwhile OSU's unsportsmanlike conduct + holding penalties erased a 20+ yard play and killed one of their key drives. Kudos to the players and coaches for not beating themselves.
This was my feeling too, that we didn't get much QB pressure (M's stats are just 1 sack and 3 TFL). Also I felt like we weren't stoning their run game (OSU got 4.9 yards/carry). I'm not sure what just happened and how the result was so good.
Seriously though! Isn't it a bit insane that we have a likely scoop-n-score nullified by an official blowing the play dead too early? Just let it run and call it back next time!
Second/Third this 100%! That Sainristil PBU in the endzone belongs in The Pantheon!
You're not alone. Thought we were lucky to be in the game at halftime. The big plays seemed unsustainable. But this M team is no PSU!
CoJo's route on the 2nd long TD was so cool. Waiting until the OSU safety turned his back, then pivoting to the center of the field. Luck, skill, design, divine intervention? Whatever it is, I'll take it!
Always wanted to keep Harbaugh around, even through the tough times. The commentators said at one point that "the entire" M fan base wanted him gone, but I know a sizable number of us didn't waver on keeping him
Personally I was thinking/hoping for 38-35 M, but thought it would be much more like last year with OSU getting slowly mauled by M's run game. The manner which M won was really unexpected for me.
I too was very nervous about giving OSU such good field position off a potential miss, but then again, I also like the trust he placed in Moody and giving him an opportunity to really cement his legendary status. Sucks that he missed it!
First Michigan hockey game I ever attended, and man what a blast! Are they all this fun? The author insinuated it was the "best game of the year."
I think there is ample evidence by now that Michigan football has its swagger back. From the time that they took ownership of Wisconsin's "jump around" song during an away game, to the non-MSU tunnel stuff, and a handful of comments by JJ and Corum at the latest press conferences. It's definitely not the "Tim Duncan" approach of showing hardly any emotion in the name of professionalism, but it seems like having fun and building confidence, even with some well-earned trash talk, is a good thing for this team. I don't mind this identity--the team is backing it up on the field!
Rightfully so. I would be beyond pissed. At UM we invest in our brains, and traumatic brain injuries are serious.
Doubt the TV broadcast would have shown this, but on one drive toward the north endzone I am nearly certain that JJ had a wide open receiver in the endzone on a play-action bootleg, but threw a poor ball to the checkdown (TE Loveland?) who dropped it. I get the sense that JJ has tuned his dial toward "game manager" mode to the point where he didn't see the home run there.
Good win! "Slow-motion beatdown" basically sums up this game.
Go Blue!
Was curious about Jay's pre-Michigan history, so here are some interesting tidbits from Wikipedia:
-33 years old
-Played D line in high school, but knee injuries ended his career
-All of his prior coaching stops are in some way linked to his family's football connections
-He was on staff with the Ravens when they beat Jim Harbaugh's 49ers squad in Super Bowl XLVII
Can't argue with his success at M!
No way his head snaps like that unless he was hit in the facemask. Shouldn't be allowed.
Was at the game, and yeah there was a too-loud chorus of boos after the drive ending sack when Cade was in.
Its very possible we need Cade to guide us to a W at some point this season. Wish people could just support the guy. I hope he has the right mindset to overcome this setback.
Agreed. I think Ivica Zubac from the Clippers seems like a reasonable comparison from a defensive standpoint. It seems like top players like Luka Doncic relentlessly get a switch onto Zubac and roast his defense.
Nice analysis! Another method to assess the variability in outside shooting would be to use confidence intervals (perhaps a bit more intuitive than standard deviation, but would provide similar team rankings), and a graph depicting 3 pt % for each game would be nice to see.
Have been a supporter throughout his tenure at M and sad to see him go. His teams were a couple unlucky bounces away from greatness (if the punt and the 4th down had each gone the other way...). If only those had gone the other way early on in his M career, everything would've been so much easier! But he embodied "those who stay" and leaves his successor a championship program. Thanks coach!
Fewer games against Rutgers/MD and more against Minny/Iowa/Wisconsin sounds like a good thing from a fan and competition perspective.
Right, maybe the optimistic take is that Michigan is a place where talented players and coaches come in and accelerate their careers, whether that's promotions or getting to the NFL.
Because I grew up in MI and as a major M football fan!
Also, I liked playing school and wanted to do that at a high level.
Everything the young man wrote seems accurate to me. Props for speaking out, it's certainly not easy to do.
The drops, picks, fumbles, mental errors in coverage all were very uncharacteristic. On top of that, Georgia seemed to be an awful matchup for us as Ian Boyd alluded to. That front 7 is brutal. Throwing over the top seemed to be the way to get chunk plays on them, and we hit 2/4ish attempts. Perhaps Bama will do that again in the final and win comfortably.
The future looks bright with McCarthy and Edwards! Go Blue!
The descriptions of a hallway chat with Harbaugh are so reminiscent of his press conferences:
"Without warning, Harbaugh’s mind could dart elsewhere and he would drift away, often to return in 10, 15, maybe even 30 minutes later to pick up right where he left off — as if he never left."
"...his mind never stops working...you may be on a topic and it sparks something else in him and he seems like he’s going off on a tangent, but by the time he’s done you realize that it’s all connected."
My confidence grew throughout the season and I was so confident we’d beat MSU that I didn’t even care about the blown strip sack TD call. “Give ‘em the points, won’t matter,” I thought. The loss predictably ended my joyride following the team’s every move. I even stopped following altogether. But then I saw a quote from Harbaugh that made a headline: “Grieving is over.” That was all it took for me to regain my enthusiasm. The players stated after the season that they knew nobody outside that locker room believed in them. But that statement showed the the coach and team had the right mindset to overcome adversity and have a dream season.
Schoon has been catching TDs regularly, sometimes pulling in one-handers, and he isn't done yet! So I think it's fair to say he's a "hit" despite being in the bottom 7 of the recruiting class.
I remember news articles ahead of the OSU game mentioning that the seasonal flu was ravaging Michigan’s campus at the time. I was pretty worried that our team would take a hit. I hope that Michigan’s athletic department is smart enough to vaccinate all of the players and staff as soon as shots become available every year.
Do the fancystats factor in the SEC title game? Perhaps Georgia looks a little less intimidating on paper after that one, as they did in person.
I'd be interested to know how many people have won the Big Ten as a player and head coach.
Wildcat package?
Red zone D...truly the way to win
Hopefully we'll clean it up for the playoffs!
We're playing our C game, they're playing their B game, and it's not close.
Champions of the East, and West! Let's Go!
Maybe we should dial that play up again!
Big fan of the head-first dive rather than a slide there
Hard to pick a favorite moment so far...McCarthy hustling downfield to get a block after handing it off to Corum, or the Donovan Edwards TD pass!!!
In my opinion, the captains should always lead the team out of the tunnel. Not to exaggerate its importance, but it's a highly visible (if ceremonial) leadership role and represents that the program is run by the players. The success of this team is largely attributable to the players embracing the "leaders and best" mindset. Let self-aggrandizing coaches (e.g. Scott Frost) take the spotlight at the front of the line.